1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to the field of motor vehicles. More particularly, the invention provides a method and apparatus for conveniently setting various programmable features of a motor vehicle using a graphical user interface accessed with a computer.
2. Prior Art
Motor vehicles, and automobiles in particular, have grown increasingly complex. A modern automobile may contain as many as fifty microprocessors controlling a wide variety of operational and convenience features. While much of the processing power is devoted to functions that are transparent to the driver, the number of driver-selectable features and options has increased tremendously. For example, automobiles may include driver controls for seating position, seat temperature, cabin temperature, cabin ventilation, cabin illumination, dash illumination, audio entertainment, navigation, suspension compliance and transmission shift-mode, to name only a few. Providing driver control of all of these functions has led to a proliferation of knobs, buttons, switches and other controls in many automobiles.
The increased number of driver controls is not without its drawbacks. Typically, drivers must refer to increasingly voluminous owner's manuals to understand the various controls available and learn how to operate them. Naturally, different drivers have different preferences and this can result in a lengthy process of changing settings each time a different driver enters the vehicle. Furthermore, the increased complexity of driver controls is a distraction to the driver and negatively affects traffic safety.
Efforts have been made to simplify the driver/vehicle interface. One such effort is the “iDrive” system introduced by BMW. This system employs a video display and a driver-operated “joystick” to replace many of the individual controls. The system is reported to control more than seven hundred functions. While the system succeeds in eliminating much of the dashboard clutter, it results in as much, if not more, driver distraction than with conventional controls.
Another effort to simplify the driver/vehicle interface (and one that is employed in conjunction with BMW's “iDrive” system) is voice recognition. The vehicle is programmed to learn and respond to certain spoken commands. However, voice recognition technology is still in its infancy and spoken commands are not consistently understood, especially in a typically noisy vehicle environment.
There remains a need for a system and method of interfacing with the myriad of controllable features in a modern automobile without distracting the driver when actually operating the automobile.